


The Bench By The Crick

by jakedillingerdeservesmorelove



Series: Requests! [2]
Category: Dear Evan Hansen - Pasek & Paul/Levenson
Genre: Fluff, M/M, Mutual Pining, Pining, Treebros, Weed mention, shy boys go on a date
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-03
Updated: 2019-02-03
Packaged: 2019-10-21 08:51:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,802
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17639645
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jakedillingerdeservesmorelove/pseuds/jakedillingerdeservesmorelove
Summary: Connor and Evan are hanging out as just friends... right?AKA, neither of them know if they're on a date or not





	The Bench By The Crick

**Author's Note:**

  * For [CreatorAnimator](https://archiveofourown.org/users/CreatorAnimator/gifts).



> If you'd like to request something, head on over to my requests and drop a comment! You can find it in my "Requests" series or on my profile.

Stumbling their way through the forest Evan couldn’t help but think about the jokes Jared, his best friend, had made about Connor Murphy luring Evan in to murder him early that afternoon when he told him his plans to hang out with the tall boy. He scolded him for making jokes like that, knowing how tough it had been for Connor to put up with jokes like that for so many years on top of other life issues that existed outside of school, but now he made the mental note to prepare himself for how Jared would react when he told him how he was led through the secluded forest next to the local park by him.  
They had met in a support group, odd as it may sound considering they’d gone to the same school for practically their whole lives, for teenagers dealing with mental illness. After many group exercises and having to listen to each others struggles (along with everyone else in their group), they formed a very specific kind of bond that neither of them could really put into words. All they knew was one day they’d started talking during their break at the support group so that they didn’t have to both sit and look lonely for the next ten minutes, which led to them somehow pairing up for a project together in english, a class Evan and Jared didn’t share, which led to them sometimes sitting together at lunch or hanging out at the library, which led to some kind of weird gray area where they’d both shown obvious romantic interest in each other, but never did anything about it, which led to now. Leaves crunching under their feet while they tried not to trip over sticks and roots while Connor took Evan to… somewhere.  
He had wondered ever since the previous night when Connor asked if he could take Evan somewhere he thought he’d like where they could possibly be going, and those thoughts had temporarily drifted to the back of his mind when he pulled into the dirt parking lot by the park and saw Connor, cool as ever, leaning against the door to his busted up truck with one hand in the pocket of his dark jeans while the other mindlessly scrolled through his phone. When he saw Evan pull into the lot he smiled (just a little, the most he really ever smiled at people, but a smile nonetheless) and put his phone away, making Evan’s heart flutter. Now that he had gotten over how good Connor looked (for the most part), his curiosity came back, but he didn’t ask any questions about where they were going.  
“It’s just up ahead,” Connor called over his shoulder. He got distracted for a second when Evan smiled and nodded at him, not seeing a branch on the ground in front of him and stumbling over it, cursing under his breath as he steadied himself but thankful he didn’t fall. That would have been a little humiliating.  
“You okay?” Evan asked, a hint of genuine concern in his voice as he watched Connor brush himself off, though there wasn’t anything on him. It was as if he were subconsciously trying to physically dust off his embarrassment.  
“Yeah,” he answered, “watch your step there.”  
They walked a couple more feet before Evan finally spotted a clearing in the trees ahead of them. The amount of dead leaves on the ground lessened as the trees thinned out, and he could see a very old, weathered looking bench. It looked out over a crick that Evan assumed emptied out into the pond at the park.  
“Found this one day when I was walking around, trying to clear my head,” Connor explained. “The bench was already here and I liked the sound of the water flowing. Helped me relax and shit, y’know?” Connor scratched the back of his neck, feeling slightly awkward about admitting this next part. “It’s not very scenic or whatever but I know you’re really into nature and shit so I thought maybe you’d like this place.”  
A smile formed on Evan’s face. The fact that Connor had his very own hidden spot that helped calm him down and it made him think of him sent butterflies rushing through his stomach.  
“I think it’s great,” he said breathlessly, looking at Connor with that look in his eyes that made the taller boy melt.  
“That’s uh- that’s good. I’m… glad you like it,” he replied, fiddling with the frayed edge of his denim vest. The silence that followed was heavy with awkwardness as neither of them tried to make eye contact.   
Just as Connor started moving to sit down on the bench, Evan was practically bursting with curiosity and a small dose of anxiety that he could help but blurt out, “What is this?”  
Connor stared at him blankly, shocked by the sudden outburst and trying to figure out what he meant.  
“I don’t…” he trailed off, his brain short circuiting in a way that only happened when he was hanging out with Evan.  
“Like are we just hanging out? Or is this-” Connor looked at him expectantly after Evan cut himself off. “Is this a date?” Both boys went red in the face. Evan’s words were fast and there wasn’t much room for air between them. “You didn’t really specify when you texted me last night and I thought we were just hanging out as friends but when I told Jared about it he called it a date but I ignore him because it’s Jared, y’know? But then I couldn’t stop thinking about it maybe you did mean this as a date? It seems kind of date-ish but also we could just be to pals hanging out and I wouldn’t know, I’ve never been on a date and I certainly have never been asked on a date and I think you’re really great and- and…” He stopped to catch his breath, noticing how Connor had patiently waited, listening to him babble on and hanging on to every word. He had a tendency to let Evan ramble on instead of cutting him off like most people did, and he payed attention to all of it. It was one of the little things that he really appreciated about Connor. “Is it a date?” He finished, feeling embarrassed for asking as well as launching into an unnecessary rant about it.  
Connor awkwardly shrugged as his cheeks dusted pink, his hand going up to scratch the back of his neck again, something he often did when he felt embarrassed or nervous.  
“It can be a date if you want it to be,” he muttered, just loud enough for Evan to hear.  
“Do you want it to be?” Evan asked, fearing maybe he was pressuring him into it.  
“Yeah,” Connor answered, nodding his head, “yeah I kinda do. Is that okay?”  
“T-totally.” Evan winced at his stuttering. He’d been working on it a lot, but sometimes he’d slip up and stutter a word or two now and then. Connor thought it was cute though.  
“Cool…” he gestured to the bench beside them, “you wanna sit?” Evan nodded, trying to calm down the beaming smile on his face, but it forced its way in place.  
The first thing he noticed when Connor sat down next to him was that he smelled really nice, a sign that he hadn’t recently smoked. He talked about his smoking habit in the support group as well as more in depth during some of his and Evan’s one on one conversations and it made Evan happy to know he was needing to do it less and less lately. He liked being able to smell his body wash on him when they sat together.  
The second thing he noticed was how close they were sitting next to each other. Sure, they sat close before, but this was different. A good different, in Evan’s opinion. Even better was that there was plenty of space on the bench for Connor to sit, but he chose to be next to him.  
The third thing Evan noticed was how Connor’s arm had originally been placed across the back of the bench, but was slowly and subtly slipping down further and further to wrap around Evan’s shoulder as they made small talk and watched the water flow through the crick. The butterflies returned and he tried to subtly lean closer to Connor’s body, silently letting him know that he was okay with what he was doing.  
The pair talked for hours, never running out of things to say despite talking to each other often. They never seemed to run out of discoveries about the other to make. They talked about life, family, and recovery. They talked about school (“Fuck Mr. Davidson, who gives that much homework on a Friday?” Connor had said, making Evan giggle) and about music as well as nature, something Evan was particularly passionate about. Connor sat and listened as Evan explained in great detail why it was so important to save the bees and the different things people can do to help, unbelieving how he ended up on a date with someone so adorable and smart.  
It wasn’t until Evan’s phone chimed in his pocket that they snapped out of their deep focus on each other and realized that it was getting darker.  
“Oh shoot,” Evan said, looking at his phone. “It’s my mom, I was supposed to be home 30 minutes ago for dinner, I wasn’t paying attention to what time it was, I just get so distracted talking to you because I like hearing what you have to say about things and I kinda don’t want this to end but-”  
The one time Connor cut off his babbling, Evan was grateful for it. Once the shock wore off of course.  
He had pressed a lips against the shorter boy’s, kissing him gently for a moment before pulling back. It was short and sweet, but it still took Evan’s breath away and rendered him speechless.  
“Go have dinner with your mom,” Connor said quietly, still close to Evan’s face. “I’ll text you later, okay?”  
“O-okay,” Evan said once he’d found his voice again, still nodding as he stood up. “I had a lot of fun. Maybe we can go on another date sometime soon?”  
“Yeah, I’d like that,” Connor said.  
“Okay cool. Guess I should, uh, get going now.” Evan bit his lip. “Bye Connor, drive safe.”  
“You too.”  
Connor watched as Evan started walking back out of the forest, disappearing behind the trees as he further and further from the clearing. He sighed and leaned back against the bench when he could no longer see him. Laughing giddily to himself and smiling big. Damn that boy was cute.


End file.
